


The Third Quarter Quell

by Thefemalearrow



Series: The Simonverse Games [2]
Category: Love Simon (2018), Love Victor (TV 2020), Simonverse | Creekwood Series - Becky Albertalli, The Hate U Give (2018), The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Bram and Simon are adults by this point though, Cliffhangers, Fade to Black, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mentors, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Quarter Quell (Hunger Games), Rebellion, Victory Tour (Hunger Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thefemalearrow/pseuds/Thefemalearrow
Summary: Simon thought he and Bram were free from the games. That they could now live peacefully together. But as a rebellion grows and the upcoming quarter quell, will that actually happen?
Relationships: Alice Spier & Emily Spier & Jack Spier & Nora Spier & Simon Spier, Bram Greenfeld/Simon Spier, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Pilar Salazar & Simon Spier, Starr Carter & Maya Yang
Series: The Simonverse Games [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932547
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

Bram: Good morning babe. I know it's the crack of dawn, but I can't sleep. Caleb woke up crying at three in the morning again and I can't sleep. I thought about you and decided to message you. I'm missing you.

Simon smiled as he read the message. He had only seen the message three hours later since he was a heavy sleeper.

Simon: Morning. Sorry, it took me so long to see this message. Welcome to the world of being an older sibling. After Nora was born, I barely got any sleep, but you eventually get used to it. I miss you too, but, just think, in a week we're going to be on our victory tour together. Almost two full weeks of us being together. Then we won't be separated for long since the games are around the corner.

Seeing Bram was the only reason Simon was excited about the games. The thought of the actual games made Simon want to throw up, and this was his and Bram's first year being mentors, and it was a quarter quell. Every twenty-five years, there was a special Hunger Games. Cole won the second quarter quell, which doubled the number of tributes in the arena. He barely survived, since he killed the last tributes while trying not to bleed out.

Alice poked her head threw the doorway. "Breakfast is ready," Alice said. Simon climbed out of bed and they made their way to the dining room. They sat at the table and began to eat. That morning it was mushroom omelets with bacon and yogurt. Bieber, the family's golden retriever, sat under Nora's chair, hoping for some crumbs.

They talked about their upcoming day. Simon loved that after the games, his family seemed to go back to normal. They were constantly in the spotlight, but they seemed to continue to keep their humility.

Once they were finished with breakfast, Nora and Simon left for school. It wasn't expected that Simon would return to school since he was a victor, but Simon decided he wanted to continue his education. He was in his senior year so he didn't have much longer left in school.

Simon and Nora made their way to the front of Victor's Village. It was the only gated community in district twelve, and it was located near the back of the district. Only Simon and his family, Cole, and their servants lived there. The other districts that had more victors had larger Victor Villegas that were more crowded.

The bus soon arrived and they climbed aboard. They took their seats and the bus left.  
\---  
Simon was called from class during the third period. He stood up and slowly made his way to the office. On the way, some of the other students nodded or smiled at him. He had become pretty popular after the games, but Simon wasn't crazy about his newfound popularity. He just wanted to finish school in silence and spend his life with Bram.

Simon was escorted to a back office, where, to his suprise, President Spring was waiting for him. Simon sat in front of him. "Good afternoon, Mr. Spier," he said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well," Simon stated.

"I want to show you something, and it couldn't wait," President Spring said. He turned on the TV behind him. It showed footage of district six. There were riots in the streets and there was fire everywhere. "Five people were killed in district six last night. It's sad really."

He turned off the TV. "People use what you did at the end of the last games as a symbol of rebellion," Spring explained. "You need to show them that you are one of us. We'll give the same memo to Abraham."

"I will do my best to convince them during the victory tour," Simon said. He wasn't trying to start a rebellion. He just wanted to go home with Bram or not go home at all.

"You better," Spring threatened. "Because if you don't, we might have something up our sleeves."

"What would you do?" Simon asked.

"You still have a sister who is eligible for the reaping," Spring said. "We have ways of making sure she ends up in the arena."

Simon bit his lower lip to hold in his anger at what Spring had said. He knew if he said the wrong thing, things would go badly for him and his family. "You're dismissed," Spring said. Simon silently left the office and made his way back to class.


	2. Chapter 2

Simon was packing his bag. He had to be at the train station in fifteen minutes. They were picking up Bram and his mentor since district seven was closer to the capital. Simon packed a few changes of clothing for chilling out on the train. He had been informed that all of his going out clothes will be handled by Neco.

He also packed his toothbrush, toothpaste, and his phone charger. He put the strap of his bag around his neck. He walked to the living room. "I'm going to head to the train station," Simon said.

"Ok," Emily said. "Have a great trip."

"Thank you," Simon said. They then shared a hug and Simon left the house. He walked to the train station and sat on one of the benches. He tapped his foot as Cole sat beside him. "Good morning."

"Morning," he said, before taking a big gulp of beer. The train arrived shortly after. They climbed aboard the dining/living room cart quietly. Bram was sitting on the couch on the other side of the cart.

"Simon," Bram said. They walked to each other and shared a loving kiss. Bram's hands cupped Simon's face. It had the passion that you get when you haven't seen your significant other in six months.

Bram led him to the room they were sharing. Simon tossed his bag into the corner. Bram shut the door so they could have privacy, "So did President Spring give you the memo?" Simon questioned.

Bram nods. "We just say a little bit of capital propaganda, and act like dumb, love-struck teens," Bram said. He then got closer to Simon and kissed his forehead. "I don't think the ladder will be hard for us at all, though."

Simon smiled as Bram kisses him again.  
\---  
The first few days of the tour went by smoothly. The tour was set up to rub salt in the wounds of the families whose tributes died in the arena. Simon and Bram tried to show the sympathy they had for the families without angering Spring. Simon felt bad as he gave his speech to district one since he was responsible for the female tribute's death. To his suprise, the crowd showed him respect and even cheered for him. "It's apart of their culture to always show respect to the victors," Cole had said. "No matter who they are."

It was the same deal with district two, and they figured that it would be the same with district four. Bram and Simon had made their way to district three. Abby and Nick's district. They walked onto the stage. Once they said the typical capital propaganda, they got to what they actually wanted to say.

"Abby and Nick were two of my closest friends," Simon said. "Though our time together in the arena was short, I grew to care for both of them. I'm sorry I couldn't have kept them alive for longer. They both seemed to be good people."

Someone in the crowd did the old district twelve salutes. This salute had been retired since it was used heavily during the rebellion. Slowly, the entire crowd joined them. Bram and Simon just stood there, not knowing what to do next. Peacekeepers entered the crowd and started to attack the instigator. Some peacekeepers led Simon and Bram off the stage and slammed the door before they could see what was going to happen.


	3. Chapter 3

The other public events were canceled for that day. The only thing Bram and Simon had to do was eat dinner with Pilar Salazar, the latest victor from district three. They were glad that it was a private event so there wouldn't be any peacekeepers.

They walked into district three's victor village. They found her house and knocked on the door. A girl with long, black curly hair opened the door. She was wearing a black dress. "I'm glad you guys are here," Pilar said. "We have a lot to discuss."

Bram and Simon shared a look, neither of them knowing what she was talking about. They entered the house and followed her to the dining room. They sat around the table, and their dinner was soon served. They were having green-bean casserole, pork, and bread rolls. For dessert, there were lemon cookies.

They made small talk for a few minutes. Simon often watched the other victors interacting on TV, but this felt a lot less formal than those meetings. "So, have you guys heard of the rebellion?" Pilar asked, grabbing a cookie. Pilar had won the 69th Hunger Games when the arena was flooded and she was the sole survivor.

"Yeah, you mean that stuff that's going down in district six?" Bram asked. "Spring won't let us forget."

"So you don't know," Pilar said. "I'm not allowed to say much since, but I'm supposed to give you the rundown. District thirteen is still there, but it went underground after the rebellion. They've been planning something for the past seventy-five years, and they're planning something for the upcoming quarter quell."

"I thought district thirteen still being around was just a rumor," Simon said.

"It's true," Pilar whispered. "I can't say anything else, but it will all become clear soon. Now, we have to pretend as nothing happened just in case a peacekeeper comes."

They then go back to eating quietly. Simon couldn't get the thought of district thirteen off his mind. He wondered what they were planning for the quarter quell, and who all was in on the plan.  
\---  
The rest of the tour went by without incident. Simon and Bram didn't bring up the other tributes out of fear of causing another riot. After they went to district twelve, they went to the capital for an interview and a party to celebrate the end of the tour. During the interview, Bram actually proposed to Simon. Simon figured this was to really sell their love to President Spring. Simon accepted the proposal, and the crowd cheered.

The party was right after the interview. There they met a lot more of the victors and capital officials. They mostly held hands and stayed near the back of the party. Simon prayed that what they did was enough.

President Spring walked onto the stage and the music stopped. Everyone gave him their full attention. "Good evening," President Spring said. "The victory tour was certainly interesting, which is why there will be changes in the districts. In the most problematic districts, we're upping security by adding new peacekeepers. We've also decided on the theme for the next quarter quell. I will be announcing that in a few weeks. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of the evening."

He made eye contact with Simon, and then Bram. "While you can," he added. He then walked off the stage, causing Simon's stomach to turn. The tour had been a failure, and he was about to pay the price.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter! I've been thinking about what I want to do with the story. Just an FYI: it won't be a full-on adaption of what happens in Catching Fire. I have a few new ideas, but I will take some from the book. Goodbye, my gems!


	4. Chapter 4

Bram: Has the security gone up a lot in your district yet?

Simon: Definitely.

Simon's eyes darted around the school's cafeteria. There were peacekeepers everywhere, and they were armed. The school always had a few peacekeepers, but they were always stationed at the front and back of the school. Now there was at least ten in every hall.

Nora was sitting beside Simon, which wasn't common. The middle and high school were one building in district twelve, but Nora usually sat with the other eighth-graders. Simon knew why she was sitting with him today. Today, they were going to announce the theme for this year's quarter quell.

"Are you scared?" Nora asked.

"No, why would I be?" Simon asked. Nora then went back to being silent for the rest of lunch. The bell then rang, and Nora and Simon separated.  
\---  
Simon and Nora decided to walk home from school since their bus had broken down that morning. The sun was shining brightly that afternoon, which was a rarity in district twelve. As they entered the town square, they saw the new lead peacekeeper was about to give someone a lashing.

"This woman chose is taking the punishment for an older woman who had broken the law," he shouted. Simon then saw that the girl who was about to get the lashing was Alice. Simon ran between them. "Get out of the way. You might be a victor, but that doesn't mean you're free from the law."

"I'm not going to let you lay your hands on my sister," Simon shouted. The peacekeeper then hit Simon on the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Simon knew that was going to leave a small bruise. As he stood up, he missed Cole arriving at the scene.

"What is going on here?" Cole interrogated.

"I was about to give this woman a rightful lashing, but Spier decided to step in," the peacekeeper screamed. "Now, I'm going to give both of them a lashing."

Cole thought about his next words for a few moments. "You can't do that," Cole said. "That is Simon Spier. The capital loves him. If they discover that you laid your hands on him, you could lose your job. It looks like you already got a hit in. Can't you leave him with a warning for now?"

The leader thought about it for a few moments. "Fine," he said. Simon and Alice slowly stood up and held hands. The peacekeeper then faced the ground. "Remember to be home by curfew! If you're not, you will be shot!"

The crowd quickly dispersed, even though the curfew wasn't for another five hours. "Thanks for saving my skin back there," Alice said.

"No problem," Simon said. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Alice said. Nora had finally managed to get to them. The three siblings slowly made their way to their house, avoiding contact with people at all costs.  
\---  
That night, the Spier family ate dinner in the living room. They were waiting for President Spring's announcement for the quarter quell. They were eating tuna casserole, green beans, and mashed potatoes. They had sent their servants home early that night.

Soon the program began. There was a short movie at the beginning explaining what the Hunger Games were and why they happened. It also explained what the quarter quell was and what the first two ones were.

It then cut to a stage in the capital. President Spring walked onto the stage, holding some notes. "Good evening citizens of Panem," he said. "We put a lot of thought into what we wanted to do for this year's games, but we came up with a good one. To show that the children will forever pay for the war their parents caused, the tributes will be reaped solely from the eligible members of a victor's family. If a district can't provide two tributes, a normal reaping shall be held. That is all."


	5. Chapter 5

The family just sat around the TV, not knowing what to say. Nora seemed to not react to finding out that she was going to be carted to her death. Simon wrapped his arm around her shoulders, but she shrugged it off. She got up and went to her room. "I'm going to try and talk to her," Simon said.

"I think she needs to be alone," Alice said. "Nora will talk to us when she's ready."

"I hope you're right," Simon said. He then stood up and started to walk to his room. He passed by Nora's room and heard noises inside. She seemed to be on the phone with multiple. Simon knocked on the door, but no one came to the door. "Do you want to talk?"

"Maybe later," Nora said. "I kind of have a lot to process at the moment."

Simon was going to say something, but he then remembered what it was like when he was reaped. It sent him into a state of shock, and he was seventeen at the time. He couldn't manage what it was like for a thirteen-year-old. He went to his room and flopped onto his bed. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Bram.

Simon: Did you watch the announcement?

Bram: Yeah. I have some eligible cousins, but there are a few choices. How is Nora taking the news?

Simon: I don't know. She shrugged us off and went straight to her room. She's the only family I have who can be reaped, and Cole doesn't have any living relatives. Have you heard from the other victors?

Bram: Not yet. I'm sure their all trying to process it still. All I can say is things are going to be tense when we finally meet them since our relatives are going to be killing each other. I hate Springe so much.

Simon: Same here, but we have to be careful since our phones might be bugged. So let's just say goodnight and hope the odds are ever in our family's favor. Love you.

Bram: Love you too.  
\---  
The next few months were a kind of a blur for Simon. Nora seemed to be distant. Simon at first thought that it was her trying to process the upcoming games, but it quickly became clear that wasn't what it was.

Simon arrived at the town square early so he could help set things up for the reaping. He caught a glimpse of the reaping bowls. The male bowl was as full as normal, but the bowl for the female tribute only had one measly name on it. Simon knew exactly whose name was on that piece of paper.

"Simon," a female voice called out. Simon turned around and saw that Renee Albright had arrived. She ran over and hugged Simon. He hugged back awkwardly. He didn't think they were close enough for this. "There's my favorite victor. I don't care that I'm not supposed to say that."

"I won't snitch," Simon said. The reaping began at around one in the afternoon. Simon stood on the stage, and Cole was standing on Simon's right. They watched as the courtyard was filled with all of the eligible boys and even the girls were still forced to attend.

Once the video was finished, Renee walked over to the microphone. "Welcome everyone to the reaping for the seventy-fifth annual Hunger Games," she explained. "As always, we're going to start with the girls."

Simon closed his eyes as Renee did the inevitable. "Nora Spier," Renee said. She walked to the stage quietly and stood on Renee's right. Simon noticed that Nora and Alice nodded at each other. "Now for the boys."

She pulled out a name from the male bowl. "Peter Rosebud," Renee said. A boy with dark brown hair stepped forward.

"I volunteer as tribute," he said, surprisingly calm. There was a silence amongst the crowd.

"It seems we have a volunteer," Renee said. "Very well. Please step onto the stage."

The boy walked onto the stage and stood on Renee's left. "What's your name?" Renee asked.

"Chris Bryant," the boy said. They were announced as the tributes for that year's Hunger Games. Chris and Nora shook hands. They then walk off the stage. Simon thought that they were about to go to the town hall to say goodbye to their families. Instead, they were taken to the train station by peacekeepers and ushered onto the train. Once they were safely aboard, the train bolted out of district twelve.


	6. Chapter 6

Simon flopped onto his bed that was assigned to him on the train. He thought about texting Bram, but they were in an area with little to no service. He knew they wouldn't have good service until they were near the capital. So he stared out the window and watched as they passed by hundreds of trees.

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in," Simon called out.

Chris opened the door and poked his head threw. "Dinner was ready," Chris said. They then go to the dining cart, where everyone was waiting for them. They sat at the table, where dinner was waiting for him. It was butternut squash soup, mashed potatoes, rolls, and green beans. There were also chocolate chip cookies.

"Peace of advice number one," Simon said. "Eat as much as you can now, but not enough to make you sick. You'll need that extra fat when you get to the arena."

"Renee and I decided while you were in your room," Cole said. "We think it would be best if you were Chris's mentor and I'm Nora's. We think that the capital would think you were playing favorites since she's your sister."

"Didn't stop you from showing favoritism towards Leah last year," Simon muttered. Cole didn't seem to react, and he gulped his beer. Simon's mind one against drifted to his games. He missed the alliance he had with Abby, Nick, Bram, and Leah. He often had a dream where they won the games together and became great friends. He always woke up crying afterward.

After dinner, they sat around the TV to watch the recap. "Getting sponsors are going to be a little trickier this year," Cole explained. "Usually, the sponsors love a legacy tribute, but you're going to be facing mostly legacy tributes, so you need to focus on your interviews and training scores."

In district three, there was a girl named Luna Rosebud. Her dad had won the 52nd Hunger Games. The male tribute was Victor, Pilar's brother. Simon had a feeling that Pilar was going to have choice words about this, based on her previous interviews.

From district seven, the female was Bram's younger cousin, Starr Carter. Once the male tribute was reaped, she did the district twelve symbol before she was assured off the stage. Simon did his best to keep a blank face.

Once the recap was over and Spring gave his speech, Nora stood up. "I'm going to head to bed," Nora announced.

"I think we should all go to bed," Renee suggested. Everyone stands up and walks to their rooms. Simon grabbed some pajamas and went to take a shower. He took a long shower before changing into his pajamas. When he started to head back to his room, he heard voices from Nora's room.

"So, do you know who were supposed to make alliances with?" Chris asked.

"Yes," Nora whispered. "Both tributes from district seven, Maya from district ten..."

Their voices got too low were Simon couldn't hear them anymore. He tried to listen, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hear them. Simon sighed and went to his room, deciding to ask questions about it in the morning. He went to his room and flopped onto his bed. He laid in bed for about thirty minutes before finally falling into a simi peaceful slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, my gems! You guys are amazing. Your support has helped me threw a dark time in my life. Goodbye for now.


	7. Chapter 7

Simon never got his chance to ask Nora about her discussion with Chris. They were never alone, so he never had a chance to bring it up. He decided that he would bring it up the first time he had a chance.

Once they arrived at the capital building, they went straight to the twelfth level. "Neco is going to be Jellybean's stylist," Cole whispered to Simon. He nods and goes to his room, which was the same room he had last year. He came into this room with a certain mission on his mind.

He walked over to the nightstand on the left side of the bed. He opened the top drawer and found Alice's notebook. He sighed in relief when he saw that it hadn't been found by the capital. He tucked it under his shirt and went to find Nora.

He went to Nora's room, but it was empty. "Thanks for finding my room," a voice from behind him said. He turned around and saw Nora. He didn't respond to her comment while handing her the notebook.

"This is the notebook that Alice gave me the day of my reaping," Simon explained. "It's full of advice that you probably won't get from Cole. It really helped me in the arena, and I think it will help you."

"I don't think that I'm supposed to have this," Nora said.

"I know, but if you hide it, it will help you greatly," Simon said. Nora bit her lower lip, making it clear that she was thinking about something. She walked to the nearest trashcan and tossed it in.

"I'm sorry," Nora said, before walking off. Before Simon could have a verbal reaction, his phone vibrated. He saw that he had a text from Bram.

Bram: Do you want to go for a walk?

Simon: Of course.

Bram: Perfect. Meet me in front of the building in ten minutes.  
\---  
Bram and Simon walked down the streets of the capital, holding hands. The citizens of the capital watched them, wanting to see their new favorite couple. It wasn't uncommon for victors to date each other, but Simon and Bram were a same-sex couple from different districts.

"Have your tributes been kind of secretive?" Simon whispered.

"Yeah," Bram whispered. "My cousin has always been quite secretive and closed off, but then Conner was the same way. I think some of the tributes are planning something, and I think it has something to do with district thirteen."

"How would they know about district thirteen?" Simon whispered. "We only learned about it threw Pilar. Not saying that you're wrong, though."

"You do bring up a good point," Bram whispered. "We should probably keep a close eye on them when we can. We'll be with them when they're not getting ready for public appearances or at training. That gives us a decent amount of time to collect intel."

Simon nodded as Bram checked his watch. "We should get ready for the opening ceremony," Bram said. "I'll save you spot in the bleachers so we can watch it together."

"Ok," Simon said. They then turned around and began to walk in the direction of the capitol building.  
\---  
Simon sat beside Bram on the bleachers. It was seven-thirty, which was twenty minutes before the ceremony was to begin. Bram kissed Simon's forehead. "Any clue what the outfits are going to be this year?" Bram asked.

"No clue," Simon said. "But I know that Neco is returning for this year."

Simon nods and they talk while they wait for the ceremony to begin. Soon, they heard the sound of trumpets, signifying the beginning of the chariots parade. They found themselves holding the hands of each other as the chariots passed by.

The first ones to go by were a pair of twins from district one. Their mom had won the Hunger Games one year, and their father one the next games. They fell in love and ended up having twins, Cashmier, and Topaz.

They seemed to be the only ones in the stands who were being quiet. Everyone else was hooting and hollering, but they just quietly watched the chariots go by. Nora and Chris were holding hands. Nora was wearing a long black dress, and Chris was wearing a black suit. They had red sparks coming from their outfits, making a beautiful homage to last year's outfits.

They formed a circle near the town hall stage. The choir kids sang their song before Springe came and gave his speech. Simon pretended to be interested in his speech, but he was just staring at Nora. Her face seemed to be blank as she heard the speech. Simon was still in the process of trying to figure her out.

"This commences the beginning of the third quarter quell," Springe announced. "May the odds be ever in your favor."


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Cole lead Simon to a secret room. It was a room where the mentors could watch the tributes train from a balcony-esque room. The windows were tinted so they wouldn't distract the tributes. Simon scouted beside Bram on an old, soft, brown couch.

"Her form is wrong," a voice from behind groaned. "Did she forget everything I taught her?"

Simon looked around the training room until he saw Nora. She was talking to Chris, Victor Salazar, Starr Carter, and the male tribute from her district, and Maya from district ten. "Looks like our tributes are allying," Pilar said.

"Yeah," Simon said. Pilar sat on the far left of the couch and rested her arm on the armrest. She ran her hand threw her hair as she watched the tributes train.

"Have you guys learned anything more about district thirteen?" Pilar asked. Simon and Bram were shocked since she mentioned it so freely. She noticed this. "It's ok, half of the mentors here are in on it. The others are too self-obsessed to care about our conversation."

"We haven't learned anything else on it," Bram said. "Unless Simon knows something about it."

"I'm just as in the dark as you," Simon said. "I haven't heard of it since you told us about it."

"And that's how it's going to stay until I get the ok to tell you guys more," Pilar said. She then went back to watching the tributes quietly. Simon and Bram shared a look as some anoxs came and brought lunch. They were too busy trying to figure out what was going on to be one of the first people to get some lunch.  
\---  
The next few days of training went by like every year. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was the alliance between Nora and the others. Usually, the only alliance to form was the one between the careers. The others are usually formed in the arena.

Chris received a score of ten while Nora got a seven. Cole noted that she really needed to impress the sponsors at her interview. Simon sat with Bram the night of the interviews. All of the cameras seemed to be on them until Cinc Odair walked onto the stage.

"Welcome everyone to the eve of the seventy-fifth annual Hunger Games," Cinc announced. The crowd burst into applause and cheered. "This year we have an interesting bunch. Most of them are legacy tributes. Sadly, we're going to have to watch all but one of them die."

There was a sad sigh amongst the crowd before the interviews began. They were like the interviews that happened every year. Simon could tell that Starr was trying to suppress her anger about the situation. He had a feeling she knew something about district thirteen.

Simon squeezed Bram's hand as Nora walked onto the stage. She was wearing a pink maid of honor dress. This was the one part of the interview Simon knew about. She was wearing the dress she would have worn to her brother's wedding that she might not get to see.

"So what's it like being the sister of one of the most recent victors?" Cinc asked.

"It feels me with pride honestly," Nora said. "I was horrified during his games, but I was relieved when he won and found love. I hope to bring my family even more pride by winning this year."

Simon had a gut feeling that what she said was scripted by Renee. He knew his sister, and she would never say something like that. "Well I know that your family will be proud," Cinc said. "Let's talk about your dress."

"I think it's supposed to be a maid of honor dress, but I also heard that there is a surprise if I twirl," Nora said. Cinc gave her the ok and she stood up. Nora started to twirl, and fake flames came out of her dress. It began to transform as she continued to twirl.

She eventually stopped, and Simon rested his hands over his mouth. The pink dress was now a black mocking jay outfit.


	9. Chapter 9

The audience just stared at Nora in silence. All she could do was stand there and hyperventilate. "Did you know this was going to happen?" Bram whispered. Simon shook his head, hoping that Spring saw this as just a tribute to Leah. Not as a sign that another rebellion was on the rise. Simon hoped that it was just a tribute to Leah. He didn't want Nora to be involved in a war at the age of thirteen. The games were bad enough.

Nora walked off stage. Chris's interview came shortly after. He managed to win over the audience with his charm and performing a rap song. He walked off the stage and people started to leave the theater. "I'll see you tomorrow," Simon said. "I love you."

"Love you too," Bram said. They then leave the auditorium to meet up with their tributes. Once Simon met up with Chris and Nora, they started to head back to the capitol building. They were silent for the entirety of the walk.

They ate in silence. They could only hear the sound of the clock ticking. Once they were done eating, Simon hugged Nora. He feared that this would be the last one he would ever give her. "Just in case I don't see you in the mourning," Simon muttered. She wrapped her arms around his torso. "I love you."

"I love you too," Nora said. They then slowly let go of each other and head to their separate rooms. Simon took a shower and then climbed into his bed. He turned off the lights and stared blankly at the ceiling. He blinked a few dozen times.

He knew he wasn't going to get much sleep that night. So he laid on his side and looked out the window. He really liked the view. Something about the lights from the skyscrapers brought peace to him. Nights in district twelve were always dark, so this was a nice change. It almost made him forget the inevitable.  
\---  
Simon was escorted to the Gamekeeper's headquarter. There was a theater there that was for the victors to watch the games together. It was a dark room with leather couches and a large screen on the far left wall. He scanned the room but didn't see Bram, so he sat beside Pilar.

"Nervous?" Simon asked, trying to spark up a conversation.

"I am, but I've trained Victor a bit so he's not completely unprepared," Pilar said. "I just don't think he has it in him to kill anyone."

"Same with my sister," Simon sighed. The TV then turned on to show footage of that year's arena. The tributes were going to be taken to a large lake that was surrounded by a jungle. Simon began to wonder if the lake was freshwater or saltwater.

Soon the tributes were shot up onto the platform. Simon noted that Nora was breathing heavily while most of the faces of the other tributes were blank. The count down then began, and Bram entered the room. He sat beside Simon. He also had a shaken up look on his face.

"Hey babe," Simon said.

"Hey," Bram said. "I have bad news. I just got word from the bunker where the tributes were taken. Some peacekeepers came and executed Neco, you, and your sister's stylist. I am so sorry."

"This marks the beginning of the 75th annual Hunger Games," Cinc announced. "May the odds be ever in their favor."


	10. Chapter 10

The first few minutes of the games were a blur. Simon tried to focus on what was happening on the screen, but he couldn't keep his mind focused on it. Neco was dead. One of the only people in the capital who he trusted. Was she even apart of what's going on with district thirteen. What even was going on with district thirteen?

Bram shook Simon, snapping Simon out of his thoughts. "Are you ok?" Bram asked.

"I'm trying to be," Simon said.

"It's ok not to be ok," Bram said, reaching for Simon's hand. Simon grabbed his hand and gave him a faint smile. They continued to watch the games. Simon was relieved to see that Nora had made it past the initial blood bath. She was staying with her team from training.

"I've gotten a few sponsors offers for my tributes," Bram said. "What about you?"

"Same here," Simon said. "I got more for Nora, but I also got a few for Chris as well. I have a meeting with some sponsors at around one to discuss what we should send for them and when."

Simon and Bram continued to watch the games. Nora and her team were hiking threw the jungle when Chris was shocked by an invisible force field. He fell back, and cannon fire was heard.

"No," Nora shrieked, but a helicopter never came to collect him. Nora put her fingers behind his neck to check for a pulse. "He still was a pulse," Nora shouted. She tried to perform CPR, but it wasn't working.

Alvin, the boy from district seven, pushed Nora aside. He took over the CPR session, and Chris woke up a few minutes later. Simon sighed in relief as Alvin helped him up. He leaned back onto the couch as the footage cut to the careers.

Simon finally exhaled the air that was stuck in his throat. His grip on Bram's hand became looser, but he still had a firm grip on his partner's hand. They didn't say another word as the games continued.  
\---  
Nora and her team walked threw the jungle for the rest of the day. They were often shocked by the sound of cannon fire that happened every few hours. "I'm still not used to be surrounded by death," Nora muttered.

"Same," Chris said. A package then fell from the sky. It fell into the hands of Maya. It was a small bag that was covered in blue paper. Maya untied it, and inside was a bottle of medicine and a small note from Eacker, Maya's mentor.

"It says that there's going to be a thunderstorm on the third at twelve in the mourning," Maya explained. "I don't know why he would know this, or why he would tell us. I'm pretty sure this is cheating."

The other members of the alliance shared a look. They knew the storm was going to happen. They hade a game maker who was on their side, and the storm had a specific purpose. "We should use this to our advantage," Starr said. "We can use my rod to contract lighting to the lake. That way the tributes will be shocked when they try to drink from it."

"But that's cheating, and will make the capital mad," Maya opposed. They wished they could tell Maya what the bigger plan was, but they were informed they weren't allowed to do that until after the storm.

"We've already been sent here to die," Starr said. "And we know only one of us is potentially getting out of this. Mine as well make us memorable."

They then continue on their path, forming a plan for the next night.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a fade to black scene between consenting adults(both parties are eighteen). I just felt like I should give you a heads up.

That night, Bram managed to sneak away from his penthouse and went to Simon's. Renee and Cole were already asleep, so they mostly had the apartment to themselves. Most of the mentors were still watching the games at the private theater, but they were craving some alone time.

Simon was sitting criss-cross on the couch while watching the games. He turned to face his boyfriend. "Hey babe," Simon said. Bram sat beside Simon, and they shared a short but sweet kiss on the lips.

"You're still watching the games?" Bram asked.

"Yeah, it's the only thing that's on TV," Simon said. They cuddled up against each other and watched the TV. Once most of the tributes were asleep, they turned off the TV. They started to make out. Simon moved to Bram's lap as it got more heated. Bram scooped Simon up and pressed him against the wall.

They made out like that for a few minutes, finally letting out the desire they had for each other. The desire that built up over months of not being able to see each other in person. Bram opened Simon's door and took both of them inside. He shut the door and locked it before moving to the bed.  
\---  
Simon and Bram left the capitol building early the next morning. They didn't want to be caught coming out of the same penthouse. They could prove that they weren't doing anything illegal, but it was still a conversation they would rather avoid.

They walked into the theater just as the sun rose. They sat on the same couch that Pilar was sitting on. The cameras were on Nora's group, who were planning something whilst sitting on the beach. "They haven't cut away from them for the past four hours," Pilar whispered. "And they've just been sitting on the beach."

"Really?" Bram asked. "I thought there would be something more interesting going on in the arena."

"If there isn't anything more interesting going on, they will intervene like they did last night," Pilar said. Bram and Simon then noticed that there was one less tribute in the alliance. It was Maya's district partner. Pilar saw the confusion on their faces.

"You guys don't know what happened last night?" Pilar asked. "What were you guys doing in your penthouses?"

They were quiet for a moment, and Pilar knew exactly what they were doing. "Anyways," she said. "At around three in the morning, the game makers realized some acid fog into the arena near them while they were asleep. They tried to runway before it could affect them, but it was too late for Hunter. He consumed too much of it and died."

Acid fog. Last year it was acid rain. He then remembered Leah's death. She was so close to safety, but, as they were less than ten feet away from their cave, she fell into a puddle of acid. She had a great chance of winning the games, but Simon knew the capital caused that storm to get rid of her.

Bram seemed to remember that as well. It was the same day that the rule change happened that declared two tributes of the same gender may win. Bram rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder as they watch the games.  
\---  
No one left the theater that day. Food was brought to them throughout the day. It was thirty minutes till twelve in the morning, and it was looking like a storm was brewing. "The game makers seem to be getting very involved this year," Pilar sighed. "I thought the capital citizens found that boring."

The seventieth Hunger Games were the lost rated for this reason. The capital basically orchestrated the entire games, leaving little tribute versus tribute combat. The game makers included fewer natural events because of this.

Nora and Maya were walking by themselves. They were going to the only non-saltwater lake in the arena. Nora grabbed a rock and hit Maya, knocking her out. Everyone in the room had a shocked reaction.

"I didn't think she had it in her to attack someone unprovoked," one of the other victors said. Nora then pulled out her knife and started to attack Maya's arm. She kept going until she pulled out a piece of metal in her arm. Her tracker. Why was she cutting out Maya's tracker? Simon though.

Nora then wrapped up Maya's arm and ran off. The camera followed her the rest of the way to the lake. By the time she got there, it was already pouring down rain. Starr and Chris were on a small island in the middle of the lake. Nora gave her a thumbs up, letting them know Maya was out of the picture.

"We have to do this now," Starr shouted. Nora nodded as Star placed the rod into the water. Chris got it to stay up without any support from Starr. Soon lightning hit the rod, knocking out everyone was in that arena as it destroyed the force field around the arena.


	12. Chapter 12

The video feed cut off when the force field was destroyed. A lot of the mentors stood up from there. Cezar opened a secret door. "We got to go now," he shouted as the mentors ran to him.

"What's going on?" Simon asked. "Where are we going?"

"District thirteen," he said bluntly. "We'll explain things once we're on the jet."

Simon and Bram, noting how urgent it was, decided to follow them. Pilar was leading the group threw the dark hallways. "We need to split up," Pilar shouted. "So we don't get caught by the peacekeepers! I'll take half, and Cezar will take the others!"

Simon and Bram followed Cezar threw the dark halls. They eventually made their way to the back of the building, where a jet was waiting for them. They climbed aboard and, to Simon's surprise, Alice was waiting for them. "Alice," Simon said. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Sy," Alice said. "Me, you, and Bram need to talk. Follow me."

Simon and Bram followed her to a dark meeting room. A tall buff man who had a man bun was waiting for them. "This is general Axel Flickermen from district thirteen," Alice said. Simon and Bram nodded, and Axel remained silent.

"I'm sure you saw what just happened in the arena," Alice said.

"Yeah," Bram said.

"Well, that was all orchestrated by the rebellion," Alice explained. "The head game maker, Charles Gideon, was helping us. He was a spy. Half of the tributes were in on it, including Nora."

At that moment, it clicked with Simon. The mysterious conversation she had the night of the reaping, the weird distance, the talk she had with Chris on the train. He wouldn't even be surprised if Nora cutting out Maya's tracker was apart of the plan. "We didn't tell you guys because President Springe was following both you closely," Alice explained.

"What about Nora and the other tributes?" Simon asked. "Where are they?"

"I just got off the phone with President Dime, the leader of district thirteen," Axel said. "They managed to save most of the tributes who were apart of the plan. The rest were arrested by the capital."

"What about Nora Spier?" Simon asked.

"She still has her tracker in her arm, but the capital got to her first," Axel said. Simon quickly slammed her into the wall. Alice tried to break them up, but Simon kept his grip on him.

"She's thirteen," Simon shouted. "She's thirteen and you let her get captured by the capital!"

Cezar entered the room and pulled them away from each other. "I'm guessing you guys learned about what happened in the arena," Cezar said. Everyone in the room nodded. "Well, I hate to say this, but I have even more bad news."

"What is it?" Bram asked.

"After the arena was destroyed, the capital bombed district twelve," Cezar explained sadly. "District twelve is no more."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have some plotting I have to do for the next book, but I hope to get it out soon. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but I like writing them(I have been hurt by cliffhangers as well. *cough* The Gifted *cough). I'll see you guys soon!


End file.
